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he Cooperatives Registry Management Information System aims to streamline services and enhance efficiency. Stakeholders, including Mary Amumpaire Mwesigwa and Geraldine Ssali from the Ministry, emphasized the benefits of the digital system, such as mobile money payments and document e-certification.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives in Uganda has introduced a new digital registration process for credit and savings cooperative societies across the country. This development has received positive feedback from various stakeholders involved in cooperative activities.

The introduction of the Cooperatives Registry Management Information System took place during a launch event held in Mbarara City on Thursday.

Mary Amumpaire Mwesigwa, the Ministry’s Head of ICT, stressed the significance of the move from manual to computerized registration systems. She emphasized how the new approach allows cooperative organizations to obtain services more equally and quickly. These services include mobile money payments, document e-certification, and cooperative name reservation. Mwesigwa highlighted that these services are now smoothly integrated throughout the Ministry’s service delivery chain, from registration to cooperative society management.

During the inaugural ceremony, Geraldine Ssali, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, emphasized the system’s alignment with Uganda’s National Vision 2040. This vision emphasizes ICT as a crucial opportunity for economic transformation in the country. Ssali emphasized that the new system will boost cooperatives by increasing their ability for group dynamics, entrepreneurship, and value chain activities, notably collective marketing efforts.

Alex Asiimwe, Chairperson of the Mbarara Grapes Farmers Cooperative, expressed gratitude for the move to a digital system. He noted that the old procedure of traveling to Kampala to file annual returns and change Cooperative By-laws was inconvenient for cooperators. Asiimwe also emphasized the difficulties of manual file retrieval, describing it as tedious and time-consuming.

Allan Mbabazi, the head of ICT at Rwanyamahembe SACCO, emphasized the financial difficulty of commuting to Kampala for cooperative operations. He said that cooperatives would spend millions of shillings to carry out Ministry functions.

However, a cooperator, Claire Kasheija, requested Ministry officials and Commercial officers to instruct SACCO officials and cooperative board members. She also proposed providing them with computers and internet access to help them implement the new method.

Ivan Asiimwe, Secretary General of the Uganda Cooperative Alliance, is optimistic about the digitalization of cooperative registration. He stressed how this advancement would help revive the Uganda Cooperative Bank, allowing Ugandan cooperative members to save more money for self-development projects.

Table: Types of Cooperatives in Uganda

In Uganda, there are 44,879 cooperatives, which include SACCOs, Emyooga SACCOs, credit and savings cooperative organizations, and others. This varied array of cooperatives illustrates the country’s thriving cooperative movement, which looks to profit from the digitalization of registration processes.